Monday, February 1, 2010

Somebody's Startin' Somethin'

In the past few years I've noticed some major changes in my life. Things are shrinking. I wish I could say it was my waistline. Wouldn't that be awesome? This blog would be about my most recent triathlon and not about my most recent trip to the drugstore. But that is another blog for another time. The pervasive shrinkage that crept up on me was not my waistline but my wallet. My beloved husband who shall henceforth be referred to as "the huz" for the purposes of this blog, the primary bread-winner in our family, built his career in the once-lucrative finance industry. Our income was padded on all sides by monthly bonuses and yearly raises. Budgeting was a nice concept but far from a necessity. In the past two years of economic fallout, we have found ourselves in a position we haven't been in before. Our bonuses have all but disappeared and instead of looking forward to an annual income increase thanks to a raise, we face an annual decrease thanks to ever-increasing health care premiums and a stagnant salary. Good times.

As a result of these life lessons, my family is in a transitional period. We (in particular me) are learning to save. We are learning to budget. We are learning to appreciate what we have. We are learning to live on less. My husband has been a saver all of his life and is having no problems with this transition. I, on the other hand, fall into that undesirable entitled category and have many lessons to learn. In the interest of full disclosure and accountability, I invite you to come along on my journey into the world of fiscal responsibility as I set out on my quest for savings, Big Skimpin' all the way to the bank.